Driven by corporate net-zero commitments, favorable government policies, and industry-wide technological advancements, the global market for carbon capture is booming. Within the carbon capture market, post-combustion capture technologies that can remove carbon dioxide (CO2) after fuel has been burned are the most widely deployed. However, not all technologies are made equal.

That’s where ION Clean Energy comes in. Using its proprietary solvent, ICE-31™, ION’s post-combustion capture system is designed to capture carbon dioxide from the flue gas of natural gas-fired power plants. The solvent chemically binds with CO₂, separating it from the gas stream. The treated gas, now free of CO₂, is released into the atmosphere. 

ICE-31™ is different from conventional amine-based solvents used in the industry due to its advanced proprietary formulation. Traditionally, carbon capture systems have relied on solvents like MEA (monoethanolamine), which consume a significant amount of energy during regeneration and are less efficient at absorbing CO₂, especially in flue gases with low CO2 concentrations. ICE-31™’s novel chemical formulation enables greater CO₂ absorption, reduced energy usage, and improved solvent stability, making it a more efficient and sustainable alternative over other leading industry technologies. 

According to ION, its carbon capture process can remove up to 99% of CO₂ from flue gas––performance levels that exceed or match the 90 to 95% capture rates typically achieved by other post-combustion technologies. In fact, due to  ICE-31™’s remarkable stability, VOC emissions from ION’s technology are often so low they go undetected by current monitoring systems. 

ION’s approach is also more cost-effective. Thanks to its reduced energy requirements and fast solvent kinetics, ICE-31™ decreases both capital and operating expenses. Higher CO₂ capture rates translate into greater tax credits for users, while the solvent’s long-term stability ensures a lower rate of replacement. Additionally, ICE-31™’s ability to rapidly bond with CO₂ means less solvent and smaller equipment is needed, further enhancing overall OPEX efficiency. All these factors make ION’s source capture technology not just cleaner, but economically viable. 

The solution has been proven through more than 20,000 hours of successful pilot testing at multiple facilities, including the National Carbon Capture Center in Alabama and the Technology Centre Mongstad, in Norway, the world’s largest and most advanced CO₂ capture testing facility of its kind. Additionally, ION began operating its own purpose-built pilot plant at Calpine’s Los Medanos Energy Center in September 2023, where it continues to further refine and validate the technology. 

ION has significant backing from the private sector. Notable investors include Carbon Direct Capital, Chevron New Energies, Williams, and ExxonMobile. At the federal level, ION has secured more than $85 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

In August, the Colorado-based company introduced its latest solution for smaller-scale point source applications, ICE Blocks™. The scalable modular components are ideal for capturing emissions from smaller natural gas sources and can be quickly and securely deployed to any site accessible by road. Like its flagship carbon capture solution for power plants and industrial operators, ICE Blocks™ harnesses the power of ICE-31™ to deliver unparalleled carbon capture with minimal emissions. 

“Leveraging the high performance of our ICE-31™ solvent, we have created a truly innovative, modular capture solution that is available today,” ION CEO Tim Vail said about the company’s latest product offering. “In addition to our large-scale offerings, we want our customers to have commercially viable options for smaller emission sources. The ICE Blocks™ provide a proven, cost-effective, holistic solution package for those smaller scale point sources that can be deployed quickly and safely to anywhere that has road access.”

Current commercial carbon capture solutions rely on outdated chemical formulations long overdue for innovation. ION Clean Energy’s next-generation ICE-31™ solvent sets a new industry benchmark for performance and efficiency.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.